Quoting LondonCity (Reply 1):Great news. Although ZRH (already served by EK) is Switzerland's main business airport, there are a lot of international bodies located in GVA and, of course, GVA is located at the French border.

And GVA is very popular with visitors from the Gulf, especially in the summer.

You can often see expensive cars with Dubai registration plates driving around the city.

Quoting flyingalex (Reply 6):And GVA is very popular with visitors from the Gulf, especially in the summer.

You can often see expensive cars with Dubai registration plates driving around the city.

True, but only in the summer. Rest of the year is pretty barren with respect to Gulfies. Maybe EK is thinking of a seasonal route?

I have the distinct impression that EK's arrival will over-saturate the GVA-Gulf market. Unless there is more and more traffic to be wrested from the likes of LX and SQ on their Swissland-Asia routes. The Geneva market in itself is pretty small since the total Geneva/Vaud/peripheral France catchment area has a population of not more than, say, half a million people.

I suspect that EK was originally given rights to one Swiss city so it opted for ZRH. Note that EY and QR serve GVA but not ZRH.

Quoting faro (Reply 8):I have the distinct impression that EK's arrival will over-saturate the GVA-Gulf market. Unless there is more and more traffic to be wrested from the likes of LX and SQ on their Swissland-Asia routes.

But LX has very few long-haul flights from GVA while SQ only serves ZRH. In fact, most other long-haul carriers have opted for ZRH rather than GVA. Switzerland is a very affluent country with a strong currency so I guess EK will be aiming its ex-GVA service at passengers flying beyond DXB to Asia and Australasia.

GVA was definitely a gaping hole in their European destination map. There are rumors that CPH could start soon as well as KBP and LED. I would hope they have ARN, BEG, WAW, BRU, ESB, and BCN in the mix as well.

Yes, it would be too much right now, but once Dubai has hopefully headed into a genuine recovery (2012/2013), there might be a better case for that.

So far, within the LH Group, there is only 1 daily opportunity to fly DXB ---> Europe at daytime, namely the DXB-MUC morning flight of LH, which leaves DXB so early that you won't get a decent night sleep, though. The remaining 3 flights (DXB-FRA, DXB-VIE and DXB-ZRH) are operated at night.

SkyTeam has a more balanced offer, with 1 KL flight operated at daytime on DXB-AMS (vs. 2 night flights viz 1 KLDXB-AMS 1 AFDXB-CDG). Used to be even more balanced when AF operated 4-5 extra weekly flights (332) until a few months ago.

Frankly, it would be great to have a DXB-ZRH flight leaving round or just before noon, and due in ZRH bang at the start of the 3rd and penulatimate connecting bank. Flying ZRH-DXB, it would leave at the end of the 4th and last connecting bank, and arrive in DXB round 7am, i.e. a bit later and at a more civilised time that the MUC-DXBLH flight.

I just read today in the NY Times about the booming business in Geneva and how hundreds of companies are making it their European home thanks to its liberal tax policy and central locations. Article mentioned that 40% of the cities population is now foreign which undoubtedly leads to added travel itself. Also the FT a few weeks back itself had a story about how Geneva was headed to become the world largest oil commodity trading market also supplanting London.
So lots of good is happening in Geneva.

At the end of the day, I think the choice was very good for Emirates. And keep in mind EK is not just after Middle East traffic but can connect GVA to the Far-East, Australia, Indian sub-continent etc
Basically half the world can be connected from GVA via DXB.